More 'aggressive' action if Umno Youth ignored, Akmal warns

Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh has warned top party leaders that his wing will take more aggressive action if their voices were ignored and if “nothing changes”.

“Let me be your voice to the upper level! If nothing changes, only then we will take more aggressive actions,” he said in a speech addressing over 1,000 Umno Youth members at the International Youth Centre in Kuala Lumpur earlier tonight.

His opening speech was made to begin discussions among wing members, which will be held behind closed doors.

The discussions are a post-mortem on Umno’s drubbing in the recent six state elections where the party only won 19 of the 108 seats contested.

Calling for a peaceful discussion, he pledged to bring the voice of his members to the attention of the party’s top leaders.

“I give my reassurance that tonight, we can have a good discussion. But once you leave the hall, just keep what we discussed (to yourselves).”

Akmal (above) also hinted that the gathering of Umno Youth members from across the country was held in retaliation to a certain unnamed senior party leader who allegedly spoke against their initial criticisms made since polling day last Saturday.

“He asked us (Umno Youth) to respect the proper channel (to criticise), and so we did.

“We are not insolent, we can have amiable discussions, but if the voice of Umno Youth is not heard, be prepared to face more voices from Umno Youth from all over!” he said.

“I will never be afraid to raise your voices. This is my promise.

“This is not about Dr Akmal as the Umno Youth chief. This (discussion) is about Umno’s future and the future of our generation, which is by far more important than my own position,” he said.

‘I will not hesitate to resign’

Earlier in his speech, Akmal stressed that Umno belongs to each and everyone of them in attendance and so they have a duty to return the party to its former glory.

The Merlimau state assemblyperson said he would accept any reasons given by members tonight to explain Umno’s worst performance where it failed to capture or retain any seats it contested in Terengganu and Kedah.

“Even if the majority tonight states that the reason was because of me, I will not hesitate to resign from my position as the Umno Youth chief,” he said.

Prior to Akmal, Umno Youth deputy chief Hairi Md Shah also reminded members that they need to remain united for future success.

The Larkin assemblyperson noted how he personally failed to be more active online in countering attacks launched by Umno’s opponents, including against Akmal.

Of Umno’s 19 assemblypersons elected in the recent six state elections, only one - Suhaimizan Bizar who won the Gemencheh seat - is from the Youth wing.

Since Saturday, Akmal had been among Umno leaders who made calls for the party to be reformed, with some directly calling for Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to resign.

BN through Umno won 14 seats in Negeri Sembilan, three in Kelantan, and two in Kedah.

Umno was also wiped out from Terengganu, where Perikatan Nasional made a clean sweep of all 33 seats, and in Kedah where PKR and DAP make up three seats in the opposition bench. - Mkini